In response to my post ‘Love is...’ Paige gave me a link to Thich Nhat Hanh, the acclaimed Buddhist teacher. He argues that we shouldn’t judge ‘bad’ people harshly, because we can’t know what influences and conditions brought them to their bad behaviour.
Since we are all, to some extent, slaves to our social/environmental conditioning and genetic imprinting, I agree with this completely. I can’t experience somebody else’s life, and so I can’t know how I would have developed given the same influences and conditions. But it brings with it an interesting corollary.
If we shouldn’t judge bad people unfavourably for being inherently bad, neither should we judge favourably those good people who are inherently good.
The ‘sinner that repenteth,’ on the other hand, is maybe a different matter.
6 comments:
interesting... yet I could not agree with you more... which is more admirable... to be someone who grew up in good circumstances... who always had money.... love of a family... friends... and positive influences and is a giving generous loving human.... or someone who grew up on the streets with nothing, no family let alone anyone one who showed them love or encouragement... stole in their early years just to survive and at times did unspeakable things in order to provide for their children, yet through hard work and perserverance has created for themselves a life that they can be proud of.
A man is made up of his circumstances and how he chooses to react or respond to them. strength comes from being able to endure despite how one may do so and what in the end they do with that strength.
Your Love piece has defintely gotten many to think.... I am still pondering on it.
Thanks, Mother Moon, but now I’m having another problem. I’m uneasy with the thought that something I say might influence somebody else’s attitudes or opinions, thus changing their life path. I’m questioning how much right any of us has to do that. It’s something we all do though, isn’t it, every time we have a conversation? I might make a post about in the next day or two.
But aren't we influenced by everything around us anyway? If you didn't want to influence anyone at all, one had better stay inside their house and steer clear of everyone, perhaps?
But that's what I do, Carms! Only joking (??) You're right, of course. I'll explain why the question occured to me when I make the post.
good thing I read your comment this morning... if I had read it last night I for sure would have rambled on.
I can not think that what someone else says and its influence on me is necessarily bad. As that is such a fundamental manner of learning and growing.. If I was to close myself off of the influence of others by their opinions it would make me quite close minded. It is eventually my decision how and what I take from any piece of info I may receive, despite its origin. Think I still may have rambled... :-)
You also pre-empted some of what I was going to say, Mother Moon. But thank you.
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